Into his first meeting with Padres CEO Jeff Moorad, Jed Hoyer carried a three-ring binder thick with statistics and analysis regarding the San Diego Padres.

“I was very impressed,” Moorad said yesterday. “You couldn't help but be impressed with his attention to detail and thoroughness.”

That mid-September meeting in San Diego was the first hosted by Moorad in his search for the successor to Kevin Towers as the Padres' general manager. It might as well have been his last.

Each succeeding candidate was measured against the impression Hoyer made upon Moorad. None matched.

Which is why the Padres yesterday named Hoyer, a 35-year-old former assistant general manager with the Boston Red Sox, the eighth general manager in Padres history.

Hoyer's introduction was not exactly a surprise. His selection was known long before he returned to San Diego on Saturday night.

“Jed was by no means our favorite or a target the first time we met,” Moorad said. “But after time, it became apparent he was the right man for the job.

“I kept measuring other people against him and Jed was always first,” continued Moorad, who said he interviewed “a couple” of veteran general managers along with younger candidates along the lines of Hoyer.

“This was the logical choice, without a doubt. I believe we found a person with a tremendous baseball pedigree.”

Hoyer signed a four-year contract with the Padres with a club option for a fifth year. No financial details were released.

Hoyer yesterday said he remembers that first meeting with Moorad.

“I wanted to go in there and show the Padres what kind of preparedness they could expect from me,” said Hoyer, who didn't know the number of hours he spent compiling his analysis of the Padres.

“I was still working for the Red Sox and putting the book together on the side,” he said. “I didn't sleep much.”

That analysis could still be paying dividends for the Padres as Hoyer immediately plunges into evaluating his new team and deciding who stays and who goes.

One decision has apparently already been made. Grady Fuson, the Padres' vice president of scouting and player development, has been dismissed with one year remaining on his contract.

“There will be more movement on the baseball side,” Moorad said.

“My first order of business is to sit down and meet the staff,” Hoyer said. “I don't know them. I have a good feel for the organization, but early on I'll be doing a lot more listening.